Camera Profile
A description of how a particular camera model renders colour, applied during raw conversion to translate sensor values into a colour space.
In depth
Raw files contain sensor responses, not colours, so a profile is always applied — the only question is which. Manufacturer-matching profiles reproduce the camera's own JPEG rendering; generic ones aim for neutrality; custom ones built from a chart aim for measured accuracy. Switching profiles changes colour more than any slider.
Examples in practice
Changing from a neutral profile to the camera-matching one restores the punchy colour seen on the camera's rear screen.